Novel scene
Yuan Shao Defeated at Guandu 戰官渡本初敗績
About this event
Yuan Shao Defeated at Guandu is the first scene of Chapter 30 of the Romance, titled "Fighting at Guandu, Benchu is utterly defeated; raiding Wuchao, Mengde burns the grain": the story of how Yuan Shao, approaching Guandu with a great army of 700,000, pressed Cao Cao hard with earthen mounds and tunnels, but after losing Wuchao collapsed completely and fled across the Yellow River. It is the scene depicting the Battle of Guandu, and the raid on Wuchao in the middle is covered by the scene "Cao Cao Raids Wuchao and Burns the Grain." Romance, Ch. 30 §1–15 · 51–55
Chen Shou's text also has the same battle. The Annals of Emperor Wu (Records of Wei 1) and the account of Yuan Shao in Records of Wei 6 record that in the 5th year of Jian'an (200), Yuan Shao, facing Cao Cao at Guandu, lost Chunyu Qiong at Wuchao, and his army collapsed completely and he fled across the Yellow River. Records, Wei 1 §64 · 70Records, Wei 6 §52–54
In the Romance
In Chapter 30, Yuan Shao was about to behead Tian Feng, who had sent up a letter from prison, but desisted when his officials pleaded for him, had Ju Shou, who advised holding firm and waiting, put in chains and confined within the army, and then encamped his great army of 700,000 over more than ninety li on every side. Cao Cao, who met him with 70,000 troops, was badly defeated in the first battle by the crossbowmen and archers Shen Pei had placed in ambush, and fell back to Guandu. Romance, Ch. 30 §1–8
Yuan Shao built more than fifty earthen mounds in front of Cao Cao's camp and had archers shoot from towers on them, but Cao Cao, on Liu Ye's advice, built several hundred stone-throwing carts and smashed them, and Yuan Shao's troops called these carts "Pili Che" (thunderbolt carts). When Shen Pei had a sapper corps dig tunnels, Liu Ye had them blocked with a long trench around the camp. Holding out from the 8th month to the end of the 9th month, with his grain running out, Cao Cao asked Xun Yu whether he should withdraw, and on receiving a reply that now was the time to use an unexpected stratagem, he had his men hold to the death. Romance, Ch. 30 §8–15
When Wuchao was lost and even Zhang He and Gao Lan surrendered, Cao Cao, using Xun You's plan, spread a rumor that he would attack Ye Commandery and Liyang, so that Yuan Shao sent Yuan Tan and Xin Ming off with 50,000 men each, and in the meantime he burst into Yuan Shao's camp along eight routes. Yuan Shao, in a single robe without even time to put on armor, crossed the river with only his young son Yuan Shang and some eight hundred horsemen, and the dead numbered more than 80,000. Cao Cao burned all the letters in which people at Xudu and in his own army had secretly communicated with Yuan Shao, and the captured Ju Shou was killed while trying to steal a horse and go back. Romance, Ch. 30 §51–58
Where the Romance differs
Strength of the armies: In Chapter 30 of the Romance, Yuan Shao had a great army of 700,000 and Cao Cao met him with 70,000. The account of Yuan Shao in the Records says that Yuan Shao picked out 100,000 elite troops and 10,000 cavalry, and the Annals of Emperor Wu records that at this time Cao Cao's troops numbered fewer than 10,000. Romance, Ch. 30 §1 · 3Records, Wei 6 §49Records, Wei 1 §64
Stone-throwing carts and trench: In Chapter 30 of the Romance, it is Liu Ye who proposes the stone-throwing carts and the long trench. The account of Yuan Shao in the Records records that Cao Cao built stone-throwing carts to smash Yuan Shao's towers and dug a long trench on the inside to block the tunnels, but does not say whose plan it was. Romance, Ch. 30 §11–13Records, Wei 6 §52
Yuan Shao's rout: In Chapter 30 of the Romance, Yuan Shao crossed the river with his young son Yuan Shang and some eight hundred horsemen, and more than 80,000 died. The Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records says that Yuan Shao and Yuan Tan abandoned their army and crossed the Yellow River, and the account of Yuan Shao records that when the remaining troops feigned surrender they were all buried alive, without giving their number. Romance, Ch. 30 §54–55Records, Wei 1 §70Records, Wei 6 §54
Written by 3KDEX (not yet reviewed) — The tags at the end of each paragraph link to the exact passage in the Records volume or Romance chapter it is based on.